You learn when you're young that every activity has its place. You eat in the kitchen. You go to the bathroom in the bathroom. And never should you confuse the two. Owls have different rules, and now scientists have an idea why.

A burrowing owl spreads dung around its nest, attracting beetles.

R. Wolfe

Burrowing owls collect the dung of cows and other mammals, and they bring the waste patties to their nests in the ground. Birdwatchers have noticed this for a long time. They've also noticed that...